A wild ride of a season produced some of the most difficult awards decisions ever. Here's how the Register would hand out the hardware for the 2012 NFL campaign:

OFFENSIVE MVP

Winner: RB Adrian Peterson, Vikings

Runner-up: QB Peyton Manning, Broncos

Midseason pick: QB Matt Ryan, Falcons

Comment: Running back is not as important a position as quarterback, but Peterson had a season for the ages with the odds and defenses stacked against him. Less than a year removed from major knee surgery, and without the benefit of even an average passing attack, Peterson became only the seventh player to rush for 2,000 or more yards in a season and fell just 9 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season record. He also helped Minnesota make the playoffs. The QBs kind of cancel one another out. Is Manning any more valuable to the Broncos than Tom Brady is to the Patriots or Aaron Rodgers to the Packers?

DEFENSIVE MVP

Winner: DE J.J. Watt, Texans

Runner-up: LB Von Miller, Broncos

Midseason pick: Watt

Comment: Despite Houston's late-season drop-off, Watt still gets the nod. He's simply the single most disruptive defensive player in football today. Not only did Watt lead the league with 20.5 sacks, he also ranked first among defensive linemen with 15 passes defensed; no other lineman reached double digits. Miller ranked third in sacks (18.5) and tied for third in forced fumbles (6) for a defense that finished second in yards allowed and fourth in points allowed. Runners-up to the runner-up: San Francisco OLB Aldon Smith (19.5 sacks, 3 FF) and Cincinnati DT Geno Atkins (12.5 sacks, 4 FF).

OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Winner: Robert Griffin III, Redskins

Runner-up: Russell Wilson, Seahawks

Midseason pick: QB Andrew Luck, Colts

Comment: All three are worthy. Griffin ever-so-slightly wins it because of his consistency, numbers (third-best 102.4 passer rating; 20-5 TD-INT ratio; 815 rushing yards), team success and lesser supporting cast than Wilson. Wilson ended up with more touchdown passes and nearly as high a rating, but he plays for a team with a much better defense. Luck had the least to work with, the most line-of-scrimmage responsibility and the most pressure as the successor to Manning. That's the pro-Luck argument. The anti-Luck argument: He threw 18 interceptions (same as Mark Sanchez) and completed only 54.1 percent of his passes.

DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Winner: LB Bobby Wagner, Seahawks

Runner-up: CB Casey Hayward, Packers

Midseason pick: DE Chandler Jones, Patriots

Comment: Another really close call. Many believe Carolina LB Luke Kuechly, who led the league in tackles, is most deserving. Wagner, who wasn't too far behind, gets the edge here because of his team's success. The second-round pick from Utah State also ranked second in Pro Football Focus' inside linebacker rankings, while Kuechly ranked eighth. Wagner finished his rookie season with 140 tackles, four passes defensed, three interceptions and two sacks. Hayward finished in the top five in passes defensed (21) and interceptions (6). Injuries hampered Jones in the second half of the season (no sacks after Oct. 28).

COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Winner: RB Adrian Peterson, Vikings

Runner-up: QB Peyton Manning, Broncos

Midseason pick: Peterson

Comment: What's more impressive – a running back having an MVP-caliber season after suffering a severe knee injury in the next-to-last game of the previous one, or a Hall of Fame quarterback having one of his best years after missing the entire previous season because of multiple arm-strength-sapping neck surgeries? There's no wrong answer. So why Peterson? Well, it has to be somebody, and Peterson did something no one ever had before: He made us rethink what the human body is capable of – assuming that he is human.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Winner: Bruce Arians, Colts

Runner-up: Leslie Frazier, Vikings

Midseason pick: Arians

Comment: The NFL confirmed that interim coach Arians is eligible for the official Associated Press award; he was always in play here. No coach succeeded under more trying circumstances, taking over for leukemia-stricken Chuck Pagano after three games and leading the Colts – who went 2-14 in 2011 – to a 9-3 record with a rookie quarterback and a young, remade roster. With Arians as their coach, the plucky Colts posted a remarkable 8-0 record in games decided by seven or fewer points. Frazier guided the Vikings to a 10-6 record and a wild-card berth after a 3-13 finish a year ago.

SUPER BOWL XLVII PREDICTION

End-of-season pick: Broncos over Packers

Midseason pick: Packers over Broncos

Comment: Denver has home field, the most balanced team in the league and one of the three best quarterbacks on the planet. The Broncos lost to the second-seeded Patriots and third-seeded Texans earlier this season, but they aren't the same team that started 2-3 and trailed the Chargers, 24-0, at halftime in Week 6. Really tough call in the NFC. If DE Justin Smith were 100 percent, the 49ers would be the pick. He isn't, shifting the advantage to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Just not sure they could block Miller and Elvis Dumervil in the Super Bowl.

FINAL NFL POWER RANKINGS

The Register's final 2012 NFL power rankings (previous rank in parentheses):

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